Little Phil

Unlike Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. William T. Sherman, whose controversial Civil War-era reputations persist today, Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan has been largely untouched by controversy. In Little Phil, historian Eric J. Wittenberg reassesses the war record of a man long considered one of the Union Army’s greatest generals.From his earliest days at West Point, Phil Sheridan refused to play by the rules. He was fortunate to receive merely a suspension, rather than expulsion, when as a cadet he charged a superior officer with a bayonet. Although he achieved fame as a cavalryman late in the Civil War, Sheridan actually began the conflict as an infantry commander and initially knew little of the mounted service. In his first effort as a cavalry commander with the Army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, he gave a performance that Wittenberg argues has long been overrated. Later that year in the Shenandoah Valley, where Sheridan secured his legendary reputation, he benefited greatly from the tactical ability of his subordinates and from his huge manpower advantage against the beleaguered Confederate troops of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early.Sheridan was ultimately rewarded for numerous acts of insubordination against his superiors throughout the war, while he punished similar traits in his own officers. Further, in his combat reports and postwar writings, he often manipulated facts to show himself in the best possible light, ensuring an exalted place in history. Thus, Sheridan successfully foisted his own version of history on the American public. This controversial new study challenges the existing literature on Phil Sheridan and adds valuable insight to our understanding of this famous, but altogether fallible, warrior.

""Little Phil" provides a strong and convincing indictment of Sheridan's record, and anyone reading it will certainly question Sheridan's stellare reputation . . . . Wittenberg's work provides a well-researched and interesting revisionist account of General Philip Sheridan that should be read by anyone with an interest in Sheridan, the Union cavalry, or the Shenandoah Valley campaign.", ""Little Phil" provides a welcome riposte to the considerable body of pro-Sheridan literature already available. Often using the general s own words, Wittenberg skewers Sheridan on a variety of topics, most particularly the pertinent fields of generalship and personal integrity. This will go far toward stripping Philip H. Sheridan of his unwarranted reputation as one of the war s Great Captains.", "A book that deserves a serious read.", "A rewarding book, for it is well researched, written, organized, and argued. . . . Although Wittenberg's thesis is controversial and many readers will disagree with his evaluation of Sheridan's military abilities, the book is thought-provoking and should be read by all of those interested in the Civil War, expecially those who study cavalry operations and Civil War generalship. . . . This is an excellent book that is certain to stir debate on one of the Union's most famous commanders.", "A splendid study of one of America's military icons . . . The scholarship, research, and manner in which [the author] presented his evidence has produced a work that is easy to read and understand. . . . Eric J. Wittenberg's "Little Phil" is a desirable book for any scholar of the 'late unpleasantness.'"

Eric J. Wittenberg is an accomplished American Civil War cavalry historian and author. An attorney in Ohio, Wittenberg has authored more than two dozen articles in popular magazines and a dozen books, including (with co-authors J. David Petruzzi and Michael F. Nugent) One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, July 4 - 14, 1863; The Battle of Brandy Station; and (with J. David Petruzzi) Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg. Eric’s first book, Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions, won the prestigious 1998 Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award.